AHBETE

[miniMBA_08] Branding

What is a Brand?

A brand is an idea that gives a thing (a product, service, person, place, event) a meaning that relevantly differentiates that thing as so to make it more preferable to a particular group of buyers than any of the other brands of the same thing.

Key Aspects of a Brand

1. A brand is an idea that gives something a

   meaning beyond

   what that something is.

   • • Coke is more than a cola, Jeep is more than an SUV, etc.

2. A brand’s meaning

   relevantly differentiates

   that something from other similar somethings.

   • • Coke is relevantly different from Pepsi, Jeep is relevantly different from Range Rover, etc.

3. A brand’s relevant differentiation

   makes it preferable

   to other brands to a particular group of buyers.

   • • • Some prefer Coke while others prefer Pepsi
       • Some prefer Jeep while others prefer Range Rover.

Brand Associations

• Human memory is a collection of stored impressions that we recall when we encounter certain stimuli. In branding terms, these impressions are known as brand associations.

• • • • Example: Cars that people buy to signal success = BMW, Mercedes, and Lamborghini, etc.

• Activation is the term used to describe the process by which associations “come to mind” and combine into something that has meaning; it is a spontaneous and unconscious process

• An association network is a map showing a brand’s associations and how they are connected to one another

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Types of Brand Associations

There are three common types of associations that may exist within a brand’s association network: knowledge, imagery, and feelings.

1. Knowledge - The “objective facts” about the brand that most people will have most of the time, even if they don’t use, buy, or like the brand (e.g. features, benefits, typical price, typical usage situations, where to buy)
2. Imagery - The images and/or imagery associated with the brand that are intended to give the brand “personality”
3. Feelings - The experienced emotional responses elicited by exposure to or use of the brand

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Structural Dimensions of Brand Association Networks

There are three common dimensions that we can use to measure a brand association, including pervasiveness, strength, and valence.

1. Pervasiveness
2. • • The percentage of people in the target market having a particular brand association for a brand
     • The greater the pervasiveness, the greater the likelihood individuals in the target market will share that association, making it more important
     • Influenced by how long the brand has been in the market
     • Can be increased through advertising that links the association to the brand
     • Market-level dimension
3. Strength
4. • • The likelihood that the association will be activated for someone when exposed to the brand
     • The greater the strength, the more likely it is to be activated and become a critical element of the brand’s meaning
     • Influenced by how long the brand has been in the market and amount of advertising
     • Individual-level dimension
5. Valence
6. • • The degree of positive or negative feelings elicited by the association
     • The greater the positive (or negative) valance, the more it is likely to increase (or decrease) the level of positive feeling someone will have for the brand
     • Influenced by prior positive or negative experiences with an association
     • Can also be influenced through advertising

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Building Brand Meaning via Brand Messaging

Brand messaging helps craft a brand’s meaning in two ways: creating or changing the knowledge, imagery, and/or feeling associations and influencing the structure of the brand association network.

Brand Messaging Tactics

• Advertising: messages placed in paid media (TV, radio, print, websites, and out-of-home)
• Publicity: messages given to media in hopes of placement (press releases, sponsorships, news, social media)
• Packaging: Materials protecting/presenting the product (boxes, bottles, bags, shipping materials)
• Places purchased and/or consumed: physical locations (bricks) and/or e-commerce platforms (clicks)
• Other brand experience or brand interactions: customer service, floor salespeople, brand-sponsored events and/or venues

Brand Messaging Strategies

There are two main brand messaging strategies which can be used to influence brand associations:

1. Evidence-Based Messaging

2. 1. • Messaging requiring conscious thinking about evidence (aka information) presented in a message
      • Two principal types of evidence:
   2. 1. 1. 1. 1. Primary - brand claims
               2. Secondary - Facts, features, figures, etc. which support the brand claim
   3. • Beliefs resulting from evidence-based messaging are more durable over time, more resistant to competitive messages, and more likely to influence behavior
      • One con is that evidence-based messaging requires people to be motivated and able to think about the evidence; this can be overcome by using evidence energizers, which include:
   4. 1. 1. 1. 1. Motivators - message elements that increase the likelihood the evidence will be considered; they draw and/or hold attention to the message
               2. Facilitators - message elements that increase the likelihood the evidence will be understood; they restate and/or visualize evidence in multiple forms

3. Emotion-Based Messaging

4. 1. • Persuasion resulting from automatic subconscious responses to cues presented in the message
      • There are two main types of cues:
   2. 1. 1. 1. 1. Symbolic Cues - employed when the primary objective of the message is to influence the image of the brand; shows the type of person who uses brand or the brand personality
               2. Feeling Cues - employed when the primary objective of the message is to enhance the emotional response or connection to the brand; common examples include humor, romantic situations, familiar music, family moments, kids and grandparents, pets and animals, or inspirational achievements (e.g., athletics, heroics, reunions)